Exposure To Explosions

[Jon1371]

Greetings all. I have been searching this site for the last couple of months, and just joined.

I was just told by the VA that I can't get screened for TBI because I wasn't in an explosion or in a vehicle hit by an explosion. I got out in 03 right after getting back from Iraq and back then there wasn't any talk of TBI. Heck, I didn't know what TBI was until last month to be honest. I keep getting asked if I was exposed and I always answer yes but nothing happens. After researching TBI I asked my Dr about it and she said I had to hit my head.

I was a 1371 Combat Engineer and helped EOD clear the airfield we took over. Lots of UXO including dud 500 # bombs.

Anyone else close to explosions but not injured(shrapnel) and get TBI?

[Jon1371]

John,

Lots of close calls with me too. Young, invincible kids with access to dangerous stuff. It was always funny when no one got hurt, but not much appreciation for the potential consequences. I'm glad you didn't lose your head because myself and all the other users of hadit really benefit from your knowledge and expertise.

[john999]

My knowledge and possible expertise just comes from making every mistake possible during the last 44 years in the Army and the VA. As a young soldier you don't realize the military is going to try and minimize anything that happens to you and the VA is going to go along with that. If you knew they were both adversaries from the start then you could try and make sure they can't steam roll you. I did not realize that every time I saw a military medical doctor I was facing the enemy. Same with the VA in the early days. I remember when I was in a military psychiatric ward the main doctor said he could get me out of the army. I am pretty sure he meant a general discharge for some behavior disorder. He was not really going to do me any favors.

[Jon1371]

I actually wish I had gone to the doctors so that I have something in my files. I sucked it up, drank water and kept going. I know now that I should have said something, but I didn't want to be labeled a sick bay commando or weak body. You didn't go to sick bay unless you were ordered. I also wish I had gone for a MEB, but i thought I'd lose all my benefits, so I crossed out some of my ailments on my exit physical and just kept the ones that I thought were the worst. I think that if I hadn't gone to Iraq and just presented my symptoms, they would have caught the TBI a lot sooner. I've read that it's hard to distinguish between the two, and since the Doctor that treated me was a Psychologist with the National Center for PTSD that's the direction they went. Whenever they ask about explosions I always answer yes, but the questions stop after I say how many. To this date I haven't been properly screened for TBI and to be honest I didn't know what it was until a couple of months ago. I thought you had to get hit by shrapnel or burned to have a TBI. I had a severe reaction to the anti-psychotics that they prescribed me and one of the things associated with TBI is Lewy body Dementia and LBD reacts badly to antipsychotics. The antipsychotic made whatever is wrong with my left side much worse and moved it over to my right side. It also messed up my brain, sleep, blood pressure and my ability to function. For a while there I thought I was going to die. Seems to me that it accelerated or aggravated everything that is wrong with me. I was only on it for a couple weeks and stopped it almost a month and a half ago but I still have resting tremors and muscle spasms that come and go and my brain is still messed up. Today is a tremor day and my brain is messed up.

[Pete53]

Welcome to Hadit. GAF scores are an opinion and VA usually does not get it right. What is needed is Medical Evidence and a link to your service. Than you have to deal with VA.

Good luck. For what you have posted I believe that you have a good claim.

Pete

[Jon1371]

Pete,

I'm working on my increase paperwork now. Since i have nothing else to do, I am researching and posting questions. Now that I know way more than I did, I think this time will be better for me. I just don't know how to get medical proof from my time in service when I didn't go to medical for all this stuff.

Thanks,

Jon

[Vync]

Get a statement from your CO or a buddy statements from the guiys you served with.

The VA is blind and deaf, especially when it cones to looking at evidence. They have a form of TBI also. It is called Headamus Rectamus.

J

A new classic term: Headamus Rectamus

Edited April 17, 2014 by Vync